New Shows Featuring Moon Exploration and Facts at National Geographic

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing, National Geogrpahic has produced several new programs about the Moon, the NASA Apollo missions, and future Moon exploration.

As usual, each of the programs has its own website where you can find video clips, trivia related to the program, and many interactive materials. Students, teachers, history buffs, and space enthusiasts will appreciate the large collection of information.

Visit the National Geographic website at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/man-and-the-moon

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Naked Science: Mars Waterworld on the National Geographic Channel – May 25, 2008

Naked Science: “Mars Waterworld”
Airs Sunday May 25, 2008 at 9P et/pt on the National Geographic Channel

NASA’s Phoenix Mission lands on Mars to dig for evidence of water. Scientists hope to determine whether Mars was ever wet and warm enough to sustain life. watch a preview of the program at this link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?title=05334_00

Join the National Geographic Channel during a live blogging event this Sunday to discuss the historic landing. http://ngcblog.nationalgeographic.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=37

Astrospies – Next on NOVA – February 12, 2008

Next on NOVA: “Astrospies”
http://www.pbs.org/nova/astrospies

Tuesday, February 12 at 8 p.m.
Check your local listings as dates and times may vary. Broadcast in HD where available.

Millions remember the countdowns, launchings, splashdowns, and parades as the U.S. raced the USSR to the moon in the 1960s. But few know that both countries also ran parallel space programs, whose covert goal was to launch military astronauts on spying missions. In this program, NOVA delves into the untold story of this top-secret space race, which might easily have turned into a shooting war in orbit.

Coproduced by investigative journalist James Bamford, acclaimed best-selling author of The Puzzle Palace and Emmy Award-winning producer Scott Willis, “Astrospies” uncovers new clues about the tensest period of the Cold War, when the U.S. and USSR were on the verge of war and desperate for intelligence on each other’s nuclear capabilities.

Here’s what you’ll find online:

Watch the Program Online:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/program.html 
“Astrospies” will be available to view online starting February 13.

Secret Astronauts:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/profiles.html
Meet eight astronauts from the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program.

The Race Today:   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/racetoday.html
Historian Asif Siddiqi discusses the space programs of China, India, and other new players, and their impact.

Space Race Time Line:   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/timeline.html
Examine turning points in the heated competition between the U.S. and USSR to dominate space.

Spy Photos:   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/photos.html
A surveillance-image specialist examines photos of Iraq, North Korea, and other political hotspots.

Also, a video preview, Links & Books, the Teacher’s Guide, and more:
http://www.pbs.org/nova/astrospies

Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch Postponed

In response to failed sensors, today’s launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis was scrubbed at 9:56 a.m. EST on the recommendation of Launch Director Doug Lyons. A second launch attempt is tentatively scheduled for 4:09 PM EST on Friday, December 7, 2007.

 More information regarding the current space shuttle mission, STS-122, is available at the main NASA shuttle website: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html 

Mission coverage, including press conferences to address the new launch schedule, will be available online at NASA TV through the following link:  ttp://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Watch Live Shuttle Atlantis Launch Webcast – STS-122 Launch Scheduled for Dec 6, 2007

Space Shuttle Atlantis is set to launch at 4:31 p.m. EST Dec. 6 on a mission to deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. You can watch the launch of STS-122 live online at the NASA TV website!

Visit the following website to watch love coverage of the launch and related press conferences. A detailed broadcast schedule is also available.  http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Next on NOVA: Sputnik Declassified

On The Next NOVA (from the latest NOVA newsletter)
SPUTNIK DECLASSIFIED
Tuesday, November 6 at 8 p.m.
Check your local listings as dates and times may vary.

On October 4, 1957, the Space Age dawned with the red hue of the Communist flag when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite. Sputnik I stunned the world and spurred a surge in science education and innovation that changed our world forever. But was Sputnik I really a shock to America’s leaders, and how close was the U.S. to getting into space first?

In “Sputnik Declassified,” NOVA probes the prehistory of the Space Age, examining what makes Earth orbit so difficult to achieve; why the superpower rivalry in the wake of World War II made spaceflight attainable for the first time in history; and counters the popular view that President Dwight Eisenhower and the American science and defense establishments were caught completely off guard.

“Sputnik Declassified” draws on previously classified documents to tell the real story behind the opening chapter in the space race.

Here’s what you’ll find on the companion Web site:

Space Race Time Line
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/timeline.html
  Examine turning points in the Cold War competition to dominate space.

A Tainted Legacy
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/vonbraun.html
  How should Wernher von Braun be remembered — as a Nazi engineer or a space visionary?

A Blow to the Nation
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/nation.html
  The launch of Sputnik came as a shock to Americans long accustomed to being number one.

Build a Rocket
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/v2.html
  Learn more about how the innovative German V-2 rocket worked by assembling it yourself.

What Satellites See
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/satellite.html
  Images from near-Earth orbit can tell us a lot about our world.

Also, Links and books, a Teacher’s Guide, the program transcript, and more:
http://www.pbs.org/nova/sputnik